Independent seat rise stacking and row chair

ABSTRACT

A stacking and row-forming chair is equipped with arch sides connected by forwardly turned portions of an inverted U-shaped back frame, and spaced parallel tubes extend between said back frame portions, on the rearmost of which tubes is rotatably mounted the cushion-bearing seat of the chair. The chairs may be anchored in rows by detachable arm rest members.

United States Patent 1191 Barecki et al.

1451. Jan. 2, 1973 [54] INDEPENDENT SEAT RISE STACKING AND ROW CHAIR[75] inventors: Chester J. Barecki; William S. Lindberg, both of GrandRapids, Mich.

[73] Assignee: American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich.

[22] Filed: Jan. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 108,885

[52] US. Cl. ..297/239, 297/248, 297/335 [51] Int. Cl ..'...A47c 1/124,A47c 3/04 [58] Field of Search ..297/239, 248, 160, 162, 335,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,843,187 7/1958 Manne et a1..297/248 X 576,206 2/1897 Lin et al. ..297/444 x 2,632,498 3/1953Curtis ..297/444 x 2,853,125 9/1958 Starke ..-.....297/444 x 3,300,2461/1967 BOuChe ..297/257 x 981,232 1/1911 Wanner ..297/257 3,246,9284/1966 Haynes et al. ..297/239 3,194,600 7/1965 Junkune ..297/248 xFOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 721,089 11/1965 Canada ..297/248 PrimaryExaminer-Francis K. Zugel Attorney-Dawson, Tilton, Fallon 8L Lungmus[57] ABSTRACT A stacking and row-forming chair is equipped with archsides connected by forwardly turned portions of an inverted U-shapedback frame, and spaced parallel tubes extend between said back frameportions, on the rearmost of which tubes is rotatably mounted thecushion-bearing seat of the chair. The chairs may be anchored in rows bydetachable arm rest members.

6 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures mm 2mm SHEET 1 UF 3 v INVEN TORS Chester J.Barecki William S. Lindberg 5 0 I ATTORNEYS INVENTORS Chester J. BarecklWHHOITI S. Lindberg BY @euuaom, Jilto 72 6 2 ATTORNEYS PATENTEB M 2 W3SHEET 3 [1F 3 INVENTORS Chester J.-B'c|recki William S. LindbergINDEPENDENT SEAT RISE STACKING AND ROW CHAIR BACKGROUND AND SUMMARYStacking chairs are in universal use, but they have limitations incomfort and use in row seating and the like because of the difficulty inallowing others to pass and requiring rather wide spacing between rows.We have discovered that it is possible to provide stacking chairs withindependent rise seats which enable the occupant to stand back withinthe chair recess when the seat is raised and thus allowing others topass in auditorium grouping. This allows closer row seating with theease of passing desired in auditorium seating. Further, such structuredoes not interfere with the stacking of the chairs. Also, the chairs maybe attached in rows by the use of gang-type arm rests which fit betweenthe chairs, while at the same time permitting ready separation of thechairs for the stacking of the chairs when this is desired.

DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings,

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the chair with the seat in normalposition;

FIG. 2, is a rear perspective view;

FIG. 3, a front perspective view with the seat raised;

FIG. 4, a broken perspective view of the seat portion of the chairshowing the method of attachment of the seat;

FIG. 5, a group of the chairs in stacked relation;

FIG. 6, an exploded view of the chair showing the parts in separatedrelation, the inner and outer back panels being reversed to show theirback sides;

FIG. 7, a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the clip attachmentto the inner back panel;

FIG. 8, a perspective view of the chair with the individual arm restsattached;

FIG. 9, a perspective view of one set of right and left hand individualarm rests;

FIG. 10, a front perspective view of two chairs connected by aconnector-type middle arm, and

- FIG. 11, a perspective view of a connector-type middle arm DETAILEDDESCRIPTION In the specific structure shown in the drawings, a stackingchair has a back panel 21 supported for ready removal and a seat 22which can be raised and lowered. For stacking of the chairs, asillustrated in FIG. 5, the frame 23 of the chair is constructed with thelegs 24 slightly spread apart at their lower extremities 25 so that theymay be stacked. The upper ends of each side pair of legs 24 areconnected by means of a continuous horizontal upper connecting member25a (see FIG. 3), to'form arch-shaped frames. The leg tubes 24 may beprovided with resilient bumpers 26 and 27 formed of rubber or the likeand secured to the inside front and rear surfaces to protect the finishof the legs. The back support tube 28 projects rearwardly at an angle topermit the stacking of the chairs without interference by theupholstered back panel 21.

The cross tubes or members 29 and 30 are preferably round and are formedwith smooth bottom surfaces so that they will not mark the upholsteredseat cover on which the chair rests when stacked. Further, the use ofcross tubes which are round in cross section is better for the occupantbecause he will be less conscious of i the tube when he backs against itwhile letting other pass. Also, it is important that the rear tube 30 beround instead of square because the seat 22 turns on it by means of thetwo brackets 31 which receive the tube. The seat is held against slidingsideways along the tube 30 by the roll pins 32 positioned against eachbracket. The roll pins may be placed in the vertical position show or,if desired, in a horizontal position where they are less likely to markthe seat cushion above.

The seat itself may be formed of any suitable materials, beingpreferably provided with a bottom board 33 which may be perforated inseveral places 34 to let the air escape at the seat is compressed by theoccupants weight on it. A resilient bumper pad 35 formed of rubber,plastic, or other suitable material is provided at each side of the seatboard to protect the board and to prevent noise as the board strikes thefront cross tube 29 when the seat is lowered. The bumpers 35 may be heldin place by screws 35a placed on the seat bottom 33 so that the forwardcross tube 29 will strike the central portion of the bumpers between thefastening screws 35a. The back panel 21, as shown best in FIG. 6,consists of an outer rear panel 36 held to the inner panel 37 bytamper-proof screws 38. Such screws require a special wrench forremoval. The inner panel 37 is the support for the foam pad 39 and thefastening of the upholstery material 40 with upholstery tacks, staplesor cement, etc.

The completed inner assembly is held in place inside of the back tube 28by three or more clips 41 which are attached to the inner panel byscrews 42 and fit into slots 43 along the inner surface of the U-shapedsquare tube 28. If the inner panel is rather thin, tee nuts 44 held inplace by brads 45 may be used to prevent a loosening of the back panelduring use. Such tee nuts may be omitted if a thicker piece of plywoodis used. Further, if a metal inner panel is used, the tee nuts may bewelded in place. Also, for thinner inner panels, the

tamper-proof screws 38 may also be turned into tee nuts.

The clip 41 has an offset 46 that fits tightly against the edge of theinner panel so that the clip will not turn and work itself out of theslot 43 so as to cause the back panel to fall out of the chair. Thetongue or nib 47 which fits into the slot 43 is reduced in width toprovide shoulders 48.

As shown best in FIG. 6, the tubular frame 23 is preferably a weldedunit, with square closures or plugs 50 closing the ends of the forwardlyprojecting arms 28a, 28b of the square U-shaped back tube, and the 1feet are provided with conventional chair glides 51. The resilientbumpers 26 and 27 may be held in place each by one screw 52.

We prefer to equip the chair with arm rests which may be secured to thechair when the chairs are not stacked. An individual arm rest fitting onthe right side is indicated by the numeral 56 and on the left side bythe numeral 54 for use on a single chair. Each arm rest consists of therest portion 55 secured by an attaching plate 53 to the supporting tube57 and with two legclutching brackets 58 at its lower end, the lowerbracket being preferably provided with a pivotally mounted swinginglocking tab 59 which rests on the rear bumper-27 of the rear chair legto lock the arm rest onto the chair. The arm rest member is providedalso with a forwardly projecting tube 60 shaped to parallel the frontleg of the chair and equipped with one legclutching channel bracket 61.

To connect two chairs in a row of chairs, we provide a chairconnector-type of middle arm rest 62 which fits on the right side(occupants right) of one chair 63 and then a second chair 64 is placedon it. This continues down the line until a whole row is completed, theassembly working always toward the occupants right.

The connector rest 62 consists of a rest 65 secured by an attachmentplate 66 upon the supporting tube 67, with two leg-clutching clutchingbrackets 68 gripping the outside of the rear right leg 69 of the leftchair 63 and one leg-clutching bracket 70 gripping the inside of therear left leg 71 of the right chair 64. The middle arm rest 62 has aforward projecting tube 72 that parallels the front legs and has oneleg-clutching bracket 73 gripping the outside of the right front leg 74of the left chair 63 and one leg-clutching bracket 75 gripping theunderside of the left front leg 76 of the rear chair 64. The individualarm tests 53' and 54 can be used for the right and left end chair sidesat the aisle to complete the arm rest setup.

To remove the row setup, the right chair (occupants right) is raised andthen the exposed connector arm is lifted out, and then the next chairand the connector arm in sequence down the row. Since the connectormiddle arms are not provided with locking tabs, no unlocking is requiredin disassembling the row of connected chairs.

We prefer to dip the lower portions of the arm rest units into aplasticsolution to prevent metal-to-metal contact andto prevent scratching ofthe finish on the chair legs.

While in the foregoing specification we have set out the structure inconsiderable detail for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of theinvention, it will be understood that such details may be varied widelyby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of ourinvention.

We claim:

1. A stacking chair-comprising: first and second side frame members eachmade from a continuous tube and having a front and a rear leg member andan upper horizontal connecting member, the lower ends of each pair ofleg members being spread apart to permit stacking of chairs; a backsupport tube of general inverted U-shape and having a pair of sideforwardly projecting arms attached respectively to said side framemembers and providing a central opening to receive a seat in loweredposition; a back secured to said back support tube; a forward and a rearhorizontal cross member, each connected between said forwardlyprojecting arms of said back tube and located toward the rear of saidarms; a seat rotatably mounted to said rear cross member for movementbetween a horizontal position at which said seat is partially supportedby said forward cross member and a raised position permitting anoccupant to step backwardly into said opening between said forwardlyprojecting side arms of said back tube to facilitate passage of a erson.

2. The apparatus 0 claim 1 further comprising a pair cludes a cushionmember, and said apparatus further includes clip members attached to thesides of said cushion member and having outwardly extending tonguesreceived in spaced slots on the inside of the upper portion of said backsupport tube.

5. Apparatus for connecting adjacent chairs in a row comprising: a pairof chairs each having a pair of side arch-shaped frame members withdownwardly extending spread legs; a tubular back frame generally in theshape of an inverted U having its lower portions turned forwardly toform arms, said arms being secured adjacent the tops of said sideframes; a front and a rear cross tube connecting the rear portions ofsaid arms of said back frame; a seat; hinge brackets connected to thebottom of said seat and rotatably received on the rear cross tube topermit said seat to be raised; said front cross tube being positioned tosupport said seat in a lowered position; and a connector assemblyincluding an arm rest, an angularly extending support tube beneath saidarm rest and adapted to be placed between and extend along the rear legsof two chairs placed side-by-side, a downwardly extending forward memberconnected to said support tube and paralleling the front legs of twosuch chairs, said connector assembly further including firstleg-clutching bracket means on said angularly extending support tube ofsaid connector and on said forward member thereof to slidably engage andcouple with the outer surfaces respectively of the rear and front legsof onearchshaped side frame member of one chair when said .connector islowered onto it, and second leg-clutching bracket means on saidangularly extending support tube of said connector and said forwardmember thereof to slidably engage and couple with the inner surfacesrespectively of the rear and front legs of the adjacent arch-shaped sideframe member of the other chair when said other chair is lowered ontosaid connector after said connector is attached to said firstnamedchair.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 characterized in that

1. A stacking chair comprising: first and second side frame members eachmade from a continuous tube and having a front and a rear leg member andan upper horizontal connecting member, the lower ends of each pair ofleg members being spread apart to permit stacking of chairs; a backsupport tube of general inverted U-shape and having a pair of sideforwardly projecting arms attached respectively to said side framemembers and providing a central opening to receive a seat in loweredposition; a back secured to said back support tube; a forward and a rearhorizontal cross member, each connected between said forwardlyprojecting arms of said back tube and located toward the rear of saidarms; a seat rotatably mounted to said rear cross member for movementbetween a horizontal position at which said seat is partially supportedby said forward cross member and a raised position permitting anoccupant to step backwardly into said opening between said forwardlyprojecting side arms of said back tube to facilitate passage of aperson.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pair of hingebrackets mounted to the bottom of said seat and rotatably coupling saidseat to said rear horizontal cross member.
 3. The system of claim 1characterized in that said first and second side frame members and saidback tube are made from tubes of square cross section and said front andrear horizontal cross members are made from tubes of round crosssection.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said back includes acushion member, and said apparatus further includes clip membersattached to the sides of said cushion member and having outwardlyextending tongues received in spaced slots on the inside of the upperportion of said back support tube.
 5. Apparatus for connecting adjacentchairs in a row comprising: a pair of chairs each having a pair of sidearch-shaped frame members with downwardly extending spread legs; atubular back frame generally in the shape of an inverted U having itslower portions turned forwardly to form arms, said arms being securedadjacent the tops of said side frames; a front and a rear cross tubeconnecting the rear portions of said arms of Said back frame; a seat;hinge brackets connected to the bottom of said seat and rotatablyreceived on the rear cross tube to permit said seat to be raised; saidfront cross tube being positioned to support said seat in a loweredposition; and a connector assembly including an arm rest, an angularlyextending support tube beneath said arm rest and adapted to be placedbetween and extend along the rear legs of two chairs placedside-by-side, a downwardly extending forward member connected to saidsupport tube and paralleling the front legs of two such chairs, saidconnector assembly further including first leg-clutching bracket meanson said angularly extending support tube of said connector and on saidforward member thereof to slidably engage and couple with the outersurfaces respectively of the rear and front legs of one arch-shaped sideframe member of one chair when said connector is lowered onto it, andsecond leg-clutching bracket means on said angularly extending supporttube of said connector and said forward member thereof to slidablyengage and couple with the inner surfaces respectively of the rear andfront legs of the adjacent arch-shaped side frame member of the otherchair when said other chair is lowered onto said connector after saidconnector is attached to said first-named chair.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 5 characterized in that arch-shaped side frame members are tubeshaving square cross sections and said first and second leg-clutchingbracket means include channel-shaped brackets constructed to fit overthe associated square section tube.